Wednesday, January 20, 2016

I had the
pleasure and honor to attend the 56th annual Dogwood Trail Maids pageant in
Fairhope, Alabama this past Saturday evening. It is THE event where the next
Dogwood Trail Maids are picked to represent the Eastern Shore throughout
2016-2017.

This is not
a beauty contest. Quite the opposite.

When I
attended last year I was a judge of the written essays. Their essays did not
count for anything except entering the pageant. What I discovered then shattered
my preconceived views on Southern women and their role in the community.

This year’s
event was even better. Forty-six contestants, from five different high schools
between the ages of fifteen and seventeen participated. More than half had GPA’s
of 4.0 or BETTER!

And the theme
could not have been more relevant: American Made!

These young
ladies displayed an inordinate amount of talent, smarts and courage. More than
I had ever viewed in my home state of California (sorry beach girls). From the
opening dance number to the individual creative skits (with costumes - picture a
duct tape formal, or a sequined Krispy Kreme Doughnut), they displayed a
self-assurance and class that was well beyond their years. There were also
segments of poise in evening gowns, their individual interviews with the
judges, and the narrowing down of contestants to twelve.

The final
questions for these finalists was the basis for 25% of their total score, and
six of them were honored to become next year’s Dogwood trail Maids.

The winners were:

Hannah Smith

Emily
McCrory

Anna Walding

Madelyn
Warner

Taylor
Pierce

Annabelle
Algiers

Something
new was introduced this year: the written essays now count toward 10% of their
score.

Various women
also received scholarships and many other awards for participating as well.

The emcee
was Kenny Graves, who has held this position for 28 years, and it showed in his
professionalism and ability to seamlessly move through the program with grace
and humor.

Angela Cocke
was the managing director, and Natalie Anusiewicz was the pageant director. Two
knowledgeable and wonderfully patient women who are essential cogs in the wheel
that made this show great. They are also past Dogwood winners.

Choreography
for the young ladies was by Susan Harrell, who created beautiful dance numbers
and oversaw the skits.

Elizabeth
Denham wrote the script and all the participants’ bios, and also helped
backstage with the girls’ costume changes and jittery nerves. Elizabeth, along
with Karyn Tunks and myself, were also judges of this year’s essays.

Another essential
part of the pageant was Chris Finerty, who is the Executive Secretary and
Program designer.

However, the
driving force behind this entire pageant is JoAnn Broadus, whose tireless
energy and clear vision for the pageant have kept it running since the early
1990’s. She has demanded and implemented a level of professionalism that courses
through the entire pageant and continues throughout the year as the young women
go out into the community. As part of their commitment to being a member of the
Dogwood Court, they are required to perform 170 hours of volunteer services.
They are held to high moral and ethical standards, including grades and their standing
in the community.

I also want
to mention how impressed I was with the volunteers who helped to make the night
glide so smoothly. Although there were forty-six young women, the show lasted
only about three hours. The volunteers helped make this possible.

And a
special thanks to Joseph Tarrabela for helping with the filming

.

What did I
take away from this year’s magical event?

The future
is in good hands.

Many of these young ladies want to (and I predict will)
become doctors, nurses, teachers ,lawyers and business people. They all
volunteer to help make their community a better place to live. They all have
causes they are passionate about and devote time and energy toward. And they do
this while maintaining their grades and their wonderfully positive attitudes.

Before
coming to the event last year and learning the depth of what the program was
about, I simply thought they were cute girls who attended events in colorful
antebellum dresses, smiled, waved and made the people around them feel better.

What I
discovered was the real purpose of the Dogwood Court: to display to the
community the future leaders, the future role models, and the future hope of
women throughout the Eastern Shore.

I have been inspired
to film a documentary, through my production company VERITAS Entertainment
Group, LA (which stands for Lower Alabama), about the whole process of the
pageant, from when the girls applied almost five months ago to the night of the
pageant. One thing is clear: all the participants have grown in self confidence
and self esteem, and are the better for going through the program whether they
win or not.

The real surprise,
the ‘aha’ moment for me, came when the current court came before the Rhodes
Scholars annual meeting, wherein they appeared before them and were questioned
by these very esteemed and intelligent persons. By the end of the evening, they
stood up and applauded them. Not a perfunctory act, but a genuine show of
respect for their intelligence and charm.

That about
says it all.

It was a
magical and fairy tale evening that culminated with the next six women being chosen
to be the 2016-2017 dogwood Trail Court. They will go to various events
throughout the Eastern Shore. One of their appearances will be before these
same Rhodes scholars, and I am positive they will get a standing ovation, for
they are a part of the best and smartest of the Eastern Shore, and through
their commitment to service provide role models for the rest of the young girls
and woman who meet them.

John O'Melveny Woods is an Author, Publisher and Filmmaker living in Fairhope, Alabama. His web site is www.JohnWoodsAuthor.com